Its been a long hard winter but wonderful for all sorts of reasons. Not least of which Joe’s Pub in January in New York - which was freezing, minus 15 some of the time, but it was wonderful. We were sold out and there were terrific reviews and more importantly, I was joined on stage once more by my now friend Charlie Giordano the superb New York pianist and also a bass player called Paul Ossola. I met Paul at rehearsal in New York one afternoon out of the cold January winds and found a wonderful and funny musician with a hell of a CV and a collection of reptiles. I kid you not. During rehearsal one of them trotted around the room, a huge scratchy scaly greeny lizardy beauty, he loved the music! During my time in New York I was also able to visit my friend and fabulous radical DJ Bob Fass in his Wall Street lair. I had to trot on down there at midnight, walking through the falling snow past the blue, white and red glittery decorated New York Stock Exchange and sat upstairs in the radio station with the snow still falling outside till 2 am singing acapella on the wintery airwaves.

Back in the UK I was thrown immediately into preparations for the new album with my producer Adrian York. About which all I will say is it is sounding fabulous. And the Ballad Of Norah’s Ark. We mainly now need investors for Norah, we do a set of performances at the Drill Hall in May and out of that some mega bucks people have to throw money at us so we can move on to the next stage. Putting on a musical costs such alot of money not least of all because so many people are involved. I saw Bombay dreams and loved it, so that was inspirational. And there was the added joy of seeing and hearing the superb drummer and percussionist Kuljit Bhamra on stage in it; we made a CD together some years ago called Durga Rising which came out on his Keda label and was recorded in his studio in Southall. It was a sort of Asian jazz fusion record, which is otherwise known as commercial madness.

And the good news is that after a rainy autumn and alot of travelling and road food, which is so not good for the hips, it is seriously back to yoga and to running around the peace pagoda in Battersea Park, and never was there a time in life when one didn’t need the Peace Pagoda more. The Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park was provided as a gift by a sect of Japanese Buddhist monks who house a monk there as a guardian actually in the park in a hut and he washes the Pagoda and when one sees it with its four majestic golden Buddhas facing towards the East, West, North and South, it is awe inspiring. There could be many more peace pagodas in the world. It is a point of peace, for focus on peace and for prayer for peace. There are often gifts on flowers and incense there. Its beautiful. And particularly now I visit it frequently.

Got a listen to Robb Johnson's’ new demos for his forthcoming album and they were wonderful. Christine Collister and I have been working on some material for my new album since we did so well writing three songs for her recent CD, and Claire Martin and I are preparing to tour together. So there’s alot of preparatory action this spring. Meanwhile we have a re release of the ‘Every grain Of Sand’ CD by Linn records, who feel more people ought to hear it and know about it and we are all hoping now for radio DJ’s to pick it up and play it, after all, if it can happen to Norah Jones, why not to us?

My own new listening has included Jimmy Little, a wondrous Aboriginal pop star who sounds like Jim Morrison a bit, Jesse Winchester, who is a marvellous jewel of a songwriter that few people know, Los Zafiros the Cuban doo wop singers now I think sadly all passed, and oceans of Miles Davis and Bill Evans and John Coltrane. Late Junction has now caught me as a listener, what a fantastic range of music Fiona Talkington plays, its a joy and if you haven’t heard her yet try Radio three’s Late Junction. And I must thank my wonderful West Coast fan Dan for meeting me in LA and being so kind, and of course Carine in Belgium and Graeme and Richard here for their appreciation web site.

Till the next time, adios and happy spring.
Barb